However, they still won't open and the Windows 7 'trouble shooter' program keeps sending me to these add on 'Registry' file cleanup programs that want 30 dollars to clean up my one laptop and supposedly make it open these files. Can anyone please walk me through getting this problem resolved?
smackoj,
That could be a
TROJAN "Registry Cleaner" that is trying to get your credit card info and then leave you worse off than you already are.
I've seen many of these types of malware,,,and they usually generate a list of files
that your computer actually does need, and they list them as harmful files, in an attempt to get you to believe that they are actually doing something to protect you.........they also use a graphic interface that looks very official and believable.
If you have a anti-virus scanner that will run in safe mode, you should do it to remove any trace of that "Registry Cleaner" from your system.....whatever you do, don't buy the service!.....ask for more help if you need it or have a relative who knows computers take a look at it if it's over your head

If your computer is already infected, Windows Defender makes a new (FREE) bootable scanner that I have found to be helpful.....you load it on a flash drive and then tell your computer to boot from that drive and it starts a scan before anything else can start.....very effective